Chapter 4: The Man I Love, Pandora's Plight!
Previously on My Inferno: Pandora and Uriel happen on an abandoned cake factory. After plundering the factory of some of it's contents, the group returns the next morning only to find themselves straining their abilities to solve life-threatening tests posed by the mysterious android girl known as Metharme! Escaping the factory, incidents ensue that cause Pandora to return and accidentally ignite some flammable cake, destroying the factory. The group allows Metharme to join them after said android saves Pandora from the explosion. As the group sets up camp for the night, one thought is in each of their minds: The arrival to Olympus will be tommorow. thumb|300px|right|Opening A Night of Tranquility As Shade and Metharme set up camp with Baldr, Uriel grumbled to herself while searching through the woods they were in for sticks and twigs "Why is it that I have to always fetch firewood? This stinks..." As she bent over to grab a stick, she tripped and landed in a bush in front of her. Getting up and rubbing leaves out of her hair, she mumbled to herself "Criminy this sucks..." She then noticed Sadow laying on a hill of grass away from camp. As she was about to get up and see what he was doing, she spotted Pandora joining him and decided, instead, to eavesdrop. She hid in the bush she had landed in and listened in on their conversation. Pandora sits next to Sadow, a bit of space between them, and greets casually "Nice night, wouldn't you agree?" Sadow nodded in agreement and she continued "Warm air, bright stars illuminating the night sky... It's almost poetic, don't you think?" Sadow shrugged, his hands behind his head "Dunno. I'm not one for poetry." Pandora asked meekly "So... what are you one for then? I mean, what are your interests?" Sadow dodged the question with a question "Why do you ask me such useless questions? They serve no meaning at all and you'll be home when we reach Olympus tommorow, so why choose now to ask me about my personal life?" Pandora smirked "I think it's cute how evasive you are all of a sudden." Sighing, Sadow teased in response "...I am a Brittannian Circus-Performer. I juggled blades for a living." Pandora giggled lightly, though Uriel had to struggle to not burst out laughing. Pandora persisted "But seriously, what are your interests? I write poetry, I sing, I even play Piano... What do you do?" Sadow sighed "I'm... looking for someone..." Pandora raised a brow "Someone you're fond of?" Sadow stared up at the stars absently and muttered "A long time ago... Yeah..." Pandora grimaced "So you're entire life is devoted to finding this one person?" Sadow nods "Mhmm..." Pandora asked, highly curious "Why so devoted to finding them? Don't you have a family who need you?" Sadow muttered without looking at her "You don't keep up with the times, do you?" She raised a brow "What do you mean?" Sadow said gravely "The Yatsumaru family has been dead for years. All of them but me." Pandora put her hand to her mouth and gasped. Baldr never told her this. She had no idea Sadow carried such sorrow all this time. "I'm... I'm so sorry..." Sadow closed his eyes "Don't be. It isn't your fault." Pandora muttered "Still..." Sadow smiled and reached over, putting his hand on her head gently "I appreciate the sentiment nonetheless. Thank you." Pandora smiled slightly but couldn't help asking "So after you collect your reward you're leaving?" Sadow nodded "I wouldn't want to burden your father. Besides, let's just say I must find the person I'm looking for very soon." Sadow thought to himself gravely "I can still feel it. Day after day, it get's a bit heavier. My soul is being tugged. Hell is getting... impatient." Pandora looked down at the grass, trying to avoid looking at Sadow out of being meekly shy. She eyed a purple flower under her hand and plucked it loose from it's stem, examining it with a small smile. "The Violet Lily. A beautiful flower, isn't it?" Sadow eyed it and muttered the word "Violet..." Pandora raised a brow at him "What is it, Sadow?" He returned from his daydream and looked away "Oh, sorry... I was just... remember a part of my families' history..." Pandora smiled, giving a look of intrigue "Really? What about?" Sadow was clueless as to why she was so interested all of a sudden but decided to tell her the tale "A long time ago, my family, the Yatsumarus, and the Kawahirus were at war." Pandora nodded "I believe I've heard of this in our History books. But go on." Sadow continued "We were neighbors but constantly competing against each other for supremacy. The Kawahiru's were second best in skill to the Yatsumaru's for a very long time. Jealousy and spite ensued, and before long war had been declared. When you mentioned violet, I was reminded of the last battle that took place when I was only two years old. The Battle of Violet Hill. It was named as such because of our eyes. All Yatsumaru have blue eyes, whereas Kawahiru's eyes shine red in the dark." Pandora giggled slightly "Like a cat...?" Sadow smirked "Kind of. I don't remember why they did this, but we each had our own weird physical traits." Pandora grimaced "You're not weird..." Sadow raised a brow, not understanding what she meant. In turn, Pandora blushed and looked away "Weird looking, I mean... You're not weird looking..." Sadow shrugs "At any rate, the Battle was a standstill. My father and uncle took place in it. Apparently it was a blood-bath." Pandora frowned "That's horrible... But wait, you said all Yatsumaru have blue eyes." Sadow nodded "Yeah?" She continued "Well, yours are..." Sadow smirked "Hazel?" She nodded and he answered "They're dead." She gasped "So... you're blind?" He shook his head "I see in a special sort of vision that is available to Demons. One of the many trinkets of becoming the Devil's puppet." She frowned grimly "So... you're eyes have been tainted by Demonic power?" He nods "Don't get me wrong, that isn't why they are hazel. But... that's a story for another time." Metharme glanced at Shade setting up a string-based trap and asked "What are you doing?" He didn't look at her and continued tying the knot he was making "Setting up a trap, in case any Bandits show up while we're sleeping. You're batteries are running low so you can't guard us tonight." Metharme grimaced "I hope you know what you're doing, human." He nods as Uriel stood from the bush she was hiding in and stepped forward to join Sadow and Pandora's conversation, but instead sprung Shade's trap. The rope tightened around her ankle and sent her flying over a tree branch and catapulting over the lake in front of Sadow and Pandora. Her bright wings made them mistake her for a star, causing Pandora to point at her excitedly "Look, Sadow, a shooting star! Make a wish!" They both closed their eyes and clasped their palms together as Uriel, screaming in fear, splashed in the lake far across from them. Her head poked out of the water and she spat water out with an annoyed look. Meanwhile, Shade examined his sprung trap carefully, Metharme asking from across the campfire "What is it now?" Shade shrugged "Nothing, I guess." Uriel dragged herself out of the water and into camp as everyone was sleeping. She was soaking wet and clearly frustrated. She shook, her wings fluttering with her, to get the water off. She then pulled out a small blue purse and retrieved a blue comb and, with several quick movements, fixed her hair up. Examining her work in a tiny mirror, she smiled "Pretty as a painting." She then noticed Shade had awoken and was staring tiredly up at her ?Where have you been...?" She grimaced and closed her purse after putting the needed items back in "Cleaning moss out of my unmentionables whilst you were getting a warm, comfy night's rest." Shade tried hard not to laugh, resulting in an awkward half grin "That's... nice..." Uriel merely retorts "Not really." and smiles at an awakening Sadow, who stretches and pops his joints while yawning "Good morning, everyone." Pandora yawned while Baldr rubbed his eyes, both greeting "Good morning~" As the group packed up camp for travel, a mysterious figure stood on a cliff in the distance, surveying them as the sun rose behind him. He smirked and muttered "Seems they've picked up some extra baggage. Oh well, at least she's safe." He eyed Pandora and turned, his black coat swaying as he strode off. Shade glanced up at the cliff for a moment and Uriel turned to him with a questioning look "What is it, Shade?" He grimaced "I could've sworn I saw... Nevermind. Let's just get this packed." As they walked along the mountain pass that lead to Olympus, Sadow whispered to Shade "This Hephaestus guy is probably as big as Baldr, so watch out if he tries to shake your hand." They both chuckled to themselves as the others walked on. Uriel looked away while walking and holding her arms behind her head "Tch, men." Pandora noticed a rather large and strangely-shaped black butterfly pass them by and smiled "A Shadowfly. It must be telling father of our arrival." Baldr nodded "I'm sure he'll be most pleased to see you after all this time, Lady Pandora." They passed a large white arch that read things in Olympian that were incomprehensible to everyone but Pandora and Baldr. Before them stood, at another white arch, was the man from earlier. The Shadowfly hovered next to his silhouetted face, which was only revealed to be smiling. His face was dark and he wore white gloves as well as a long tophat. Pandora smiled beamingly "Father!" The suited man smiled back at her "Pandora! Welcome home!" Both Sadow and Shade's jaws drops at the sight of him. "Suit... Tophat... Gentlemanly posture... So... Un-Blacksmithy...!" Uriel smirked at them while putting her hands at her hips "Don't judge a book by it's cover." Baldr joined them and kneeled down before the suited Olympian "Greetings, Master, we have returned. Though I'm afraid the trek back was treacherous and, had it not been for the efforts of these skilled comrades, we would not have made it back alive. I hired them under the promise of a reward, though... My apologies if this is an inconvenience." Hephaestus smiled and put his gloved hand on Baldr's head "Do not apologize, my friend, for it is not an inconvenience if my daughter is safe. I will gladly pay whatever amount these fine gentlemen ask." Sadow shrugged casually "I could use some repairs to my equipment." Shade stepped forward "And I would like one of your finest firearms." Hephaestus smirked as if what they were asking were nothing "Consider it done. But such simple requests, I could never give rewards as meager as those. Please, join us for dinner." Pandora smiled at them "I agree. We'll have the finest foods prepared." Sadow and Shade glanced at each other meekly and said at the same time "...Alright." Uriel smiled in delight "Yay! A fancy dinner!" She clapped excitedly while jumping up and down, as Baldr escorted them into the large trade town known as Olympus. As the group toured Olympus, Pandora couldn't help but feel a little sad at the thought of Sadow being away. Hephaestus smirked and adjusted his tophat as they stopped in front of a large museum "And this is Olympus' grand museum, where we keep a treasure trove of our trade. Much knowledge can be had here." Sadow stared up at the architecture and whistled in surprise "Impressive." Hephaestus smiled at the compliment "It is. Olympian architecture is strictly mathematical in terms of basic design. They are made mostly from Stucco and Limestone. As a Chairman on the Committee of Olympian Affairs, I personally had a hand in funding this museum, as well as other monuments of our long-lost culture." Shade nodded "It's good to keep your culture alive. I have a question, however: How exactly did Olympus become from a nation to a small civilization?" Hephaestus sighed "We brought it on ourselves, I'm afraid. In our pride and ambition, we thought to usurp Kusha. As is with all the other nations to attempt such a feat, we failed. Terribly. Most of our people we're enslaved or killed, our culture soiled. Those very few of us who managed to survive escaped here, near the Brittannian capital of Engeland. Instead of joining their society, we decided to move to these mountains and start our own little tribe. We've prospered ever since, no nation wanting to bother with a small band of near-extinct peoples like us. Besides, we have a surplus on the finest goods in the world. Our craftsmen, I included, sell only the finest of goods that have both been kept in traditional artistic fashion but also keeping up with today's innovative breakthroughs." Shade nodded while folding his arms, a look of interest on his face. "Most impressive. And you all are safe so high up in these mountains, too." Hephaestus nodded "You noticed? We are strategically placed so that if the time would come that our walks of life would be threatened once more, we'd have the high-ground advantage." Shade grimaced "Do you still trade with Kusha?" Hephaestus shook his head "It is rightly forbidden of us to make deals with those who have sullied us so. If we had the power to do so, we would bring Kusha down on it's knees. But alas, we do not. However, the new King of Brittannia is planning to make a siege on the wicked nation, I hear." Shade and Sadow looked surprised by this "Brittannia is going to war with Kusha? Even knowing it's never been taken successfully?" Hephaestus nodded, grimacing a little "I pray for their souls. We Olympians will do the best we can to supply these soldier's, but alas, Kusha is a death trap. I fear the nation that offers us this land so courteously will be crippled by it's own decision." Uriel notices Daimond-shaped crests adorned on the foreheads of every Olympian that passed them by and couldn't help but ask "Uhhh... Sir, why do all Olympians have these crests?" She also noticed that all of them had dark skin except for Pandora, but decided not to ask about it. Hephaestus smirked and removed his tophat, sliding his hair back with his gloved hand, revealing his own crest "We Olympians are given these brands on the days of our birth to signify us as a people. It's also how we are told apart from Kushans, though personally I'd think our golden eyes would already make that fact obvious." Uriel grimaced and glanced at Pandora "Pasrdon me, sir, but you and your daughter look nothing alike... She doesn't even look like an Olympian." Hephaestus grimaced and turned to Pandora as rain clouds were slowly forming overhead "Pandora, mind getting out of your disguise? We're safe here." Pandora looked away "Well, it's just... I enjoyed this new form... I felt... beautiful..." Hephaestus smiled and lifted her head to face him, his fingers under her chin "You are beautiful, no matter what form you take, Pandora." She smiled up at him and nodded "Alright, father... I'll ditch this form..." She stood still as her center glowed purple, right on the heart area, and slowly she began to assume a more Olympian appearance, the one seen when she was with the rabbit. The others were in awe as Pandora smiled meekly "This is what I really look like." Uriel beamed and hugged her, chiming "Still so cuuute~" Hephaestus smiled "You didn't have any trouble with the disguise, did you dear?" She grimaced "When I'd get too emotional, it would fail a bit, but otherwise it worked like a charm." Sadow turned to Hephaestus "Why did she need to be in a disguise in the first place?" Hephaestus grimaced and placed a hand on her shoulder "Pandora is... bad luck." Sadow raised a brow "What do you mean?" He explained "The day of her birth, a Full Moon rose signifying that she would be a lucky child. However, she wouldn't start breathing until the clouds shrouded the moon, which negated the good luck effect and, instead, cursed her with bad luck." Pandora reached in her shirt and revealed a Pendant she was wearing with a symbolic maiden etched in the Ruby "This is a family heirloom to ward off bad luck. I have to wear it everywhere, but we fear it sometimes isn't enough. Which is why I have a disguise for whenever I travel." Sadow grimaced "You should not hide what you are. Hiding won't always solve your problems." Hephaestus shrugged "How might one fight bad luck? After all, we are not gods." Sadow looked away as a child's voice rung in his head "You won't make it, Ryoshi! You're not a god!" He muttered "Yeah... We're not..." Pandora noticed Sadow's look but the group was hurried due to the rain starting to pour. A Feast Among Kings and Queens Upon entering Hephaestus' palace, he immediately gave Pandora what appeared to be a pink umbrella with a small, unlit Jack-o-Lantern at the end "You forgot this before you left, Pandora. As well as your pendant, this is to keep you from getting bad luck! Do not forget it again." She nodded while accepting it "I apologize, father, I was hurried, so..." He turned "No excuses. Now, prepare yourself for lunch. Baldr, if you would be so kind as to show our guests to the spare rooms." Baldr nodded "Yes, milord." He guided each through the monumental palace, the halls large enough for Baldr to walk casually in. Sadow was forced to wear one of Hephaestus' old suits because he had to give him armour to the blacksmith for repairs. After a while, Sadow heard a hard knock on his door. He answered, thinking something was wrong due to the urgent banging, only to find Baldr in a similar suit with his oily hair put in a rat-tail "Are you ready, Lord Yatsumaru?" Sadow looked comically surprised "Baldr! Why'd you have to knock so hard!" Baldr replied "My apologies, milord, my hands are big thus I knock loud when I don't mean to." Sadow sighed in relief that there was no problem "Yes, I'm ready..." Baldr nodded "Good. Lord Kagekyo and Lady Uriel are already in the dining hall. We are currently waiting for you and Pandora." Sadow raised a brow, wondering what was taking Pandora. "She must be having trouble with her dress or something. I know I did." Baldr turned "Let us make our way to the dining hall then." Sadw nodded and followed close behind. When they reached the dining hall, both Shade and Uriel were in their rich attire. Uriel was resting her chin on her hand and her elbow on the table, clearly bored as Shade waited patiently with his hands on his lap, his eye closed. Hephaestus greeted with a smile "Welcome, Yatsumaru! When Lord Kagekyo, here, told me you were a Yatsumaru I scarce believed him!" He chuckled while Sadow smiled awkwardly and sat at the end of the table, far across from him. Uriel smirked and, rather loudly, scooted her chair closer to Sadow's "What took ya'? We've been waiting forever and we're not aloud to eat until everyone's here!" Sadow looked comically annoyed "Show some respect, Uriel, you're in another's house." She moaned, resting both arms on the table and her face in them "I'm so hungryyy... All we've eaten for days is dry fruits and jerky and beans! I haven't had a hot meal since we found Shaaade!" Shade looked identically annoyed "First of all, we had many hot meals in towns we visited after that. Second, like Sadow said, we're in another person's house so show some respect and stop whining." Uriel grumbled "Everyone here is so mean and stuck-up." After a few awkwardly silent seconds of waiting, Uriel bursted out "Where the Heavens is Pandora?! What is she doing, milking a cow while we're here starving to death?!" The image of Pandora in a dress, milking a cow with a conniving grin on her face tempted Sadow to laugh. Instead, he pinched his leg to prevent himself from laughing. Uriel ranted on "Or perhaps she's scaling this entire mountain!" Sadow pinched harder as she continued "Or tickling a Dragon, or hikin in pudding, or riding a ghost, or-" Shade finally burst out in comical frustration, he too having to resist laughing "Uriel! Enough!" Hephaestus merely watched on in comical awe as Uriel retorted "Don't tell me what to do, Tree-Shade!" Shade muttered "Was that supposed to be an insult?" She crossed her arms and held her nose high while looking away "Only if you want it to be, Sunshine-Shield." Shade's eye twitched "...Midget-Wing." Uriel burst out angrily "Sunlight-Curtain!" Shade folded his arms "Half-Pint Pigeon." Uriel stood up "Breeze-Spot!" Shade continued to sit "Molecular-sized Flight appendage." She comically reached across the table at him but Sadow stood up and held her back "Gah! I'm gonna tear him apaaart!" Sadow merely stood, his arms under her armpits to restrain her. He scolded "And you say I am an instigator." Shade shrugged "Would it be childish of me to say 'She started it'?" They were interrupted by the irritating sound of a horn blowing in the room. They looked up the staircase to see Pandora in her elaborate dress standing next to Baldr. He announced "Entering is Lady Pandora, daughter of the Master Blacksmith, Lord Hephaestus!" Pandora comically grimaced up at Baldr "Why must you do that?" He bowed slightly and whispered "My apologies... His lordship says it's good character..." Pandora sighed while pinching the bridge of her nose, soon realizing she was being watched. She blushed slightly and walked down the staircase and sat next to her father. Baldr joined next to his master but required a specially made chair to sit in. He towered over everyone, and his plate took up much room, as did his steak. Sadow whispered to Shade "Good god, is he eating an entire cow...?" Uriel smirked while joining in the whisper "Good thing Pandora milked it first." Sadow unexpectedly burst out laughing, causing everyone to look at him awkwardly, including Uriel. He glared comically at her as she waved innocently. Shade clearly looked out of place. In front of him was a soup, but he had forgot his training in etiquette and was spending much time trying to remember as his hand shifts between spoon options. Uriel, upon being given freedom to eat, munched down on several honey-filled biscuits while pouring gravey on a mountain of mashed potatoes on her plate, spooning large amounts into her mouth. Baldr stressed himself to neatly cut his steak, while Pandora lifted soup to her mouth gently with her spoon, blew until it wouldn't scald her mouth, and sipped it politely. Hephaestus cut his steak neatly while asking "Mind if I ask a family-related question, Lord Yatsumaru?" Sadow stopped cutting his steak and stared down at it, muttering "G-Go ahead..." Hephaestus raised a brow "What?" Sadow clarified in a slightly louder tone "You may." Hephaestus went ahead while spiking his fork into the juicy slice "If words do not lie, I heard the Yatsumaru family was wiped out in a single night. But you seem to be an exception. Why is this?" Sadow's eyes faltered as he sighed "I... don't quite know myself..." Shade just realized that Metharme wasn't there "Baldr, what happened to Metharme?" Baldr answered while cutting his steak "She is being repaired by our technicians." Hephaestus added "And she is being given a combat chip that should allow her to defend herself." Sadow muttered "Metharme learning combat techniques...? Now that's something to be scared of..." Uriel bit off of a leg of Turkey and doused it with a drink of gravey then spooned a large amount of peas into her mouth. Shade grimaced with disgust "Must you be such a hog when you eat?" Uriel frowned while pouring more gravey on her mashed potatoes "What?! I'm hungry!" Shade muttered "Clearly..." Uriel retorted while scooping her soup spoon in her mashed potatoes "At least I'm not named after the blocking of sunlight." Shade smirked while picking up a spoon that, he hoped, was the soup spoon and dipped it in his soup bowl "At least I don't have two totally different-sized wings..." Blowing on the soup on his spoon, Shade had closed his eye long enough for a bowl of mashed potatoes to splat against his face. Everyone present's jaws dropped as Uriel folded her arms with a smirk on her face "Oops. But I gotta say, I think it's an improvement." The bowl slid off of his head, revealing Shade's face to be completely covered in mashed potatoes. His one eye opened and twitched with uncontrollable anger "It's war, then." Uriel's eyes widened in fear and she quickly grabbed Sadow and threw him in her way just as a large scoop of creamed corn was hurled toward them. It splat against his face and slid down his suit. He grinned in anger and turned toward Uriel "Uuuriel..." She smiled innocently and fearfully as a Pumpkin pie was slapped on her face. Hephaestus and Baldr watched on as Pandora continued to sip her soup neatly. Hephaestus turned to Baldr as the food fight waged on at the end of the table "Does this sort of thing happen often?" Baldr nods "I was afraid it would happen here, which is why I brought these." He handed Hephaestus an umbrella and pulled one out for himself. All at once, the three who weren't participating unfolded their umbrellas as gravy rained on them from Uriel trying to flutter it off of her wings and onto Sadow and Shade. They both ducked under the table and threw pies up at her, each one dodged or kicked away. Hephaestus smiled while wiping his chin with a napkin, Pandora doing the same "What a wonderful lunch this has been. Truly, it is so nice to have guests over." As he said this, however, his table had been completely covered in food. Sadow, Shade, and Uriel stood outside of the palace looking guilty while covered in food as Baldr passed each with buckets of cold water, pouring them on each to clean off most of the food. The Reapings of the Glorious Sadow stretched in his repaired armour, which has been modified to be more flexable and more endurance at the same time. Hephaestus smiled while handing Sadow his twin blades "These swords are unlike any I have seen before. Be sure to take good care of them, Lord Yatsumaru. Such craft has long been lost in this world." Sadow nodded and sheathed his blades. He added "After I give Shade his reward, follow me to my private workplace and I'll give you your real reward." Sadow raised a brow as Hephaestus handed Shade a folded bit of cloth. Shade accepted it and unfolded it, his eye widening as a red, Huangese-styled gun is revealed, polished with scales on the barrel. It was a handheld Revolver painted red and green on the grip. Shade flipped open the cylinder to see seven shining red and gold bullets neatly filling the chambers. He closed it and took aim at a distant tree. Hephaestus explained "The Red Dragon. A Korth Combat Revolver with a Huangese design. While the gun's origins are in Gaust, I styled it like a Huangese Dragon to fit the name and style." Shade fired and the bullet zoomed toward the tree, blowing a massive hole in the trunk and lighting the bark aflame. His eye widened "Such power... But these rounds are nothing like I've ever seen before..." Hephaestus smirked "You won't see them anywhere but Huang, and even then, the Huangese lack the firepower that I can offer. I must admit, I was looking for quite the punch to be packed in that little firearm." Shade grimaced while looking down at his new gun "Those rounds, the Incendiary Tracers, are rare to find and extremely expensive. I doubt I'll be using this often." Hephaestus shook his head "Do not worry. We Olympians have long mastered the art of Enchanting. That gun, so long as you're the wielder, will never run out of bullets." Shade's eye widened and he opened the cylinder again, finding the bullet he had just fired still there. "Remarkable..." He smirked and turned, gesturing for Sadow to follow "Baldr, please show Lord Kagekyo where the firing range is so he may practice with his new weapon." Baldr bowed "Very well, milord." Baldr gestured for Shade to follow and he did while examining his new prize. Hephaestus opened the door to his private workplace after unlocking it with a special key. He put the key back in his pocket and entered, Sadow following close behind. Flipping a switch, a small light flickered on, revealing a suit of black armour sitting in the corner. Hephaestus placed his gloved hand on the helmet and explained "The Armour of Achilles. This enchanted set of armour protected the Champion in his adventures and exploits. Through many auctions and glorious treasure-hunts, I managed to attain this valuable set. And, for returning my daughter safely to me, it is yours. Use it well." Sadow examined it closely "How is it enchanted, exactly?" Hephaestus smirked "Long ago, the Champion Achilles wore this suit of armour during the Trojan war, the sacking of Troy, and even in his death at the hands of Paris' bow. The armour itself gave him the power to muster his rage and anger and use it against his opponents for devastating effects. However, the armour draws upon your inner dark side. Your inner taint. Your inner evil. Use it with caution, for you won't be able to signify friend from foe once the armour's effects have reached it's peak." Sadow nodded "But what about the armour I currently have?" Hephaestus smiled "You've already noticed it's been loosened, right? It'll act as under-armour at this point." Sadow nodded in thanks "Thank you, Hephaestus." He raised a hand "Please do not. It is the least I can do for someone who'd return my Pandora to me. Besides, you look like a Champion yourself. The world needs a hero now, in this dark time. Or else we face the threat of another Great Flood." He smiled down at Sadow, who was stared deep into the eye sockets of the dark armour. "For an instant... Sadow thought, "...I could've sworn I saw glowing red eyes staring back at me..." Hephaestus, Sadow, Pandora, and Uriel stood outside of a tent while an Olympian technician was flipping through his notes "Well, we managed to install a memory core that should enhance how... human she appears to be as well as a self-defense program for Huangese and Xingese fighting styles. But otherwise, we weren't able to repair anything. She well protected, it seems. Her company went through great expense to keep their secrets safe, even if it meant being unnable to repair her without the right code sequence. Since it could take days, maybe even weeks, to guess at the code, I guess you'll just have to accept her for what she is for now." Metharme exited the tent with a tape-bandage around her head, smiling cheerfully. Her new voice was suave and seductive, something that caught Sadow, Uriel, and Pandora off guard. "Hello and good day~ My name is Metharme~ I hope we can be friends~" Sadow walked up with a worried look "Metharme, are you feeling ok-" Before he could even finish his sentence, Metharme grabbed him by the arm and flung him over her shoulder and onto the ground, stepping on his neck enough to choke him. As he gagged, she smiled down at him meekly "I know Kung Fu~" Shade and Sadow stood opposite of each other, staring the other down sternly while in a ring of dirt. Sadow wore his newly given armour while Shade was holding his new pistol. Hephaestus announced "Be careful. I don't know if that armour will defend you against rounds like those, Sadow." Sadow nodded in understanding, but what Hephaestus truly worried about was if the pain inflicted on Sadow while wearing that armour would incur it's effects. Sadow took a deep sigh and quickly unsheathed his polished, reflecting blades. They were far more sharp and lethal than before, and glimmered in the sunlight with magnificence. Shade smirked and took aim as Sadow charged toward him, firing a single round. He purposefully caused it to miss by aiming away from Sadow's head, though it proceeded to zoom past and warm Sadow's cheek from the burning, Enchanted lead. As the bullet passed his face, time seemed to slow down. Sadow gazed at the round passing him and noted what looked like red, Olympian runes on it which glowed threateningly. When it managed to hit the ground, the dirt it had dug deep into sizzled and crackled with embers pouring out of the hole the bullet had made. Sadow mentally commented with praise "Damn!" He face Shade and sliced multiple times at him, purposefully aiming away but still keeping them threateningly near. This was a sparring match, a mock battle. A fake fight. Shade ducked and rolled out of the way of Sadow's charge but found it near impossible to completely evade him. Sadow's fluent sword style and understanding of how Shade fought made it so that Shade couldn't get distance to use his gun. He dared not to ruin the shine of his new gift by using it as a melee weapon, and instead opted to kick Sadow in the side. To his painful discovery, the armour was harder than he had anticipated. "Timeout for a second!" He clutched his knee and groaned as Sadow sheathed his blades "It's your own fault, kicking me like that. I'm practically in a can. That's like punching an iron wall." Shade moaned "I know... It was an impulsive and not well-thought-out move on my part..." Uriel chuckled with maniacal glee "Kick his butt, Sadow!" Sadow smirked "Oi, you're next after him, you know." Metharme added blankly while standing next to a frightened Uriel "I want a turn to test out my new skills. I will delight in inflicting serious injuries with my Martial Arts." As a demonstration, she chopped Uriel on the shoulder, popping it. She looked immediately frightened, believing she had dislocated Uriel's arm "Oh my! I apologize sincerely, Miss Uriel!" Uriel, hiding a smirk, quickly clutchered her should and fell on her knees "OW! Why would you do that?!" Metharme's eyes faltered, her expression serious and stern "...You are faking. I just read your vitals and you are fine." Uriel covered herself with her hands embarrassingedly, misinterpreting Metharme "You did what?!" Hephaestus smirked at them but noticed Pandora looking lonely off in the distance, sitting on a bench next to a pond filled with ducks. He smiled and strolled over to her, sitting next to the quiet girl "As I recall, you loved ducks as a child. I remember making you a duck made completely out of steel when you were younger. What ever happened to it?" Pandora smiled lightly "It's still in my room, on my counter next to my bed." Hephaestus nodded "Aaahh... So I presume you remember what it said on the bottom?" She answered clearly "My Little Angel, Pandora." Hephaestus crossed his legs and folded his arms, leaning back leisurely "As my little angel, you know you can talk to me if something is bothering you, correct?" She smiled sadly "I just... don't want Sadow to leave. Or Shade, or Uriel." Hephaestus raised a brow "I doubt they're going to stay here. Do you want to go with them?" She nodded "Shade will be departing on his own and Sadow and Uriel will be leaving to Lake Wintershire after this. I just... don't want us to be separated... I've grown so close to them on the journey back that I... I just don't know how I could say goodbye. Especially to..." She couldn't complete her sentence, but her father already knew. "Sadow. You seem to hold him dearly. Perhaps it's... love?" She didn't answer him, but instead watched the ducks dip their beaks into the pond. She trailed off "He is like the Ugly Duckling. Nobody wants him. In every town we visited, in every tavern we'd enter, people would only regard Sadow if he they had to. Some even glared and refused to acknowledge him, whether it was because they thought he was a phony who was trying to pose as a Yatsumaru or because they thought he was the one responsible for what happened to his family. He told me about it and it all became clear to me then. Being the last of his kind, he must be so lonely... Wishing anyone, just one person out there cared about the one who was left behind. The survivor. The Black Sheep of the flock." Hephaestus understood the sorrow in her words and turned away "For years ever since I was your age I have crafted weapons and armour and many, many other things out of metal. It became my obsession. But when I met your mother, all of that was dashed away in the sight of that one radiant woman. When I lost her, I was crushed. But then I realized I still had you. You, Pandora, are my daughter and the greatest thing in my life." He turned toward her and she faced him. "If I were to lose you too, I don't know what I would do with myself in this world. Do you truly want to go with this man, a warrior in armour who will most likely face many battles? Battles you may be swept up in? Do you truly want this, Pandora?" She nodded slowly "I love you, father. With all my heart. You raised me, took care of me, showered me in things most girls today could never dream of. But you always told me one thing that truly stuck to my ideals. Never let go of your desires. Right now, father, I wish to be with him. I do not care what he will face and I know they will never reach me because he will always protect me, no matter what happens. He is that kind of person. The kind that would defend what he has with his life, even if the sky itself came crashing down upon him. The kind that would break the fall of that which he cherishes if the ground itself were to fall asunder. He is that kind of man, the kind I admire most. And I want to see him through what he wants to find. I want to meet the person he wants to find. I want to be there." Hephaestus looked into her eyes and closed his, sighing heavily. "...Very well. If he will have you, then you may go. But only if... you promise to return as you are, perfect and with no cut-knees for me to bandage." She chuckled "I will, father. Trust in him, I know I can." Hephaestus nodded and rose up with her "It would appear that the Ugly Duckling has finally found a companion." Companions At Last, The Duckling Takes Flight Sadow was surprised to hear Pandora's request. She looked determined, as if she wouldn't take "No." for an answer. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck "You must understand, Pandora, my journey isn't going to be an easy one." Pandora smirked "I am not an easy girl. I can handle it." He added "There will be many dangers and horrors and other things. People could die." She grimaced, thinking of a clever way to retort to that "I've read alot of horror books. I think I can handle whatever'll happen." Sadow sighed "This isn't exactly a horror novel." He turned to Hephaestus "Are you really willing to hand over your daughter to a dangerous path like this?" He looked hesitant to answer "Not exactly but it is her decision and yours if you are willing to take her. However, Baldr must accompany you as well." Pandora exclaimed, a little surprised by the addition "What?" Hephaestus nodded "He'll be better suited to protecting you, Pandora." Baldr, who was standing behind Hephaestus, nodded in agreement "Very well, milord. I will protect her with my life." Metharme added "I will also join you. After all, I am owned by you, Pandora, thus I must accompany my owner." Sadow grimaced and turned to Shade "Since I'm now carrying an entire party, how about you, Shade? Are you free to tag along?" Shade looked down "I have grown dispassionate with my career as a Mercenary. Plus, you all sound like good people." He took a saluting stance and announced "You have my guns at your disposal, Sadow." Uriel clapped excitedly "Yay! We're like a small family, travelling the countryside, looking for adventure and what not!" Sadow sighed "Very well. If we all die on this trip, know you all wanted to tag along." Hephaestus smiled "We have filled your packs with food for the trip. Try not to fight with it." Sadow, Shade, and Uriel all looked shameful after he said this, while Pandora giggled at them. As the group set out, Hephaestus waved goodbye at them as well as numerous other Olympians. A cloud of Shadowflies sailed above them, guiding them out. They seemed to twinkle in the setting sun, like stars. Pandora smiled back at her father and mentally thanked him "Thank you so much, father. I will return. I promise. And I'll bring my new family with me." She was the farthest back of the group and stopped in place. They all stopped to see what was wrong. Baldr asked "What is it, Lady Pandora?" She smiled at them beamingly "Nothing. Nothing at all." Preview Next chapter, the travelling group arrive in Lake Wintershire! As Sadow searches for the mysterious Akihiro, he is attacked by an equally mysterious spearman known as Creed! Who is this man and does he know anything about Akihiro? Find out in the next chapter of My Inferno!